


My Muggle Maid

by CMTilney



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/F, M/M, romione
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-03-24
Updated: 2009-03-24
Packaged: 2018-02-07 06:11:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1887858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMTilney/pseuds/CMTilney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A world where the Malfoy's rule and blood status separates the magical world. Stuck in the middle of this is a young woman unsure of herself and of those around her, and why does her Master Ronald Weasley look at her with such sad and haunting eyes?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my old stories (from 2009). I'm posting it here in the hopes that one day I will finish this story that is very close to my heart.
> 
> Warning, it's old, unbeta'd and very unpolished
> 
> There are around 34 chapters that I will gradually move from ffnet to AO3

**' _I can't help but think that this world is cruel.'_**

"Hermione!"

Hermione looked up from the book in her lap as her mother's voice echoed through their house.

Hermione placed the book face down on the armchair as she called back to her mother. She found her leafing through their mail near the front door.

"You have a letter," her mother replied when she stepped up to her.

Hermione took the strange looking letter in her hands.

"I didn't think people still used wax seals on letters," she said to herself as her mother watched her open the letter curiously.

Hermione's mother continued to wait patiently but eventually her curiosity got the better of her.

"What does it say?"

Hermione looked up at her mother and only just realised that her mouth was still hanging open. She quickly closed her mouth and swallowed. She then looked up at her mother as a smile spread across her face.

 **'** _**How stupid I was. When I received that letter from a school called Hogwarts, I had thought that my life would change for the better. I wouldn't be stared at as the weird loner girl, who just didn't know when to shut up. Now that I think back I really miss being that girl.'** _

* * *

 

"Goodbye my darling," her mother hugged her tightly as they approached the train platform.

Her father was scowling, he hadn't said a word to her the entire trip to the train station.

"I don't understand why we can't see your school," he said finally folding his arms across his chest and his mother rolled her eyes at him.

This was not the first time that he had asked Hermione this question, but even though she got her stubborn streak from him she also got her patience from her mother.

"Because dad, only people who have magical ability will be able to see the school, if you got there all you'd probably see was a castle ruin, if even that, and obviously you wouldn't let me stay there if you did."

Her father 'humphed' then unfolded his arms to look at her.

"But you'll be safe?"

"I'll be fine," Hermione grinned up at him, "I've already studied all the required text for this year, and I've loved everything I've learnt so far. I can't wait to actually meet the teachers, transfiguration sounds incredibly complicated."

"So it'll probably be your favourite subject by the year end," her father sighed though she noted the pride in his voice.

She simply shrugged at him.

Then her face fell. She stared down at the ground. She felt her eyes begin to sting.

Suddenly the reality of the situation was dawning on her.

"I'm going to miss you guys," she said as she wiping the traitorous tears from her eyes.

She hated crying, she would never let anyone see her cry. It was a sign of weakness, something she had learnt in her early years at school. If the bullies saw you cry they knew you were an easy target. Better to compose yourself and only let out your anger with no one else around, she would only make her parents worry about her otherwise.

But on this occasion her tears dripped down her face no matter how hard she tried to hide them.

She saw her father's face appear before her.

"I'll miss you too, promise to write to us everyday, we want to know everything you learn."

"Yes," her mother agreed kneeling down beside her father so that they were both on eye level with her, "You can hardly go off learning fantastic new abilities and theories and not let us in on it, it would drive your dad mad."

Hermione giggled when her father made a 'you mean it'd drive you mad' face to her mother.

"Oh my goodness, its almost time," her mother said in a rush looking at the clock above them, "Hurry now."

They helped her over to the wall between platform 9 and 10. They had been given instructions by Professor McGonnagal, who had given all the non magical families a crash course on their children's school life and more importantly how they would get to the oddly named Platform 9 and ¾.

"Hurry you lot!"

Hermione heard a woman shouting at her brood of children as they raced down the platform towards them.

"Bye," she said looking back at her parents when they kissed her.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Her father looked back when someone accidentally knocked into him.

"Ron, watch what you're doing," the mother of the boy scolded him and he instantly turned almost as red as his hair, "I'm so sorry, all these children can be a handful, and their father rushed off to work for some emergency and left me to deal with them all on my own."

"Alright mum, they don't need to know your life history," one of the older children cut in, "We'll be late if you start telling them how you and dad met."

The woman turned and instantly silenced the boy.

"It's quite alright," Hermione's mother replied, "Are you…going to Hogwarts?"

Her mother whispered the last word and looked around them as though the crowds at the train station would even understand what that meant.

"Oh," the woman's eyes widened in surprise before she smiled at them, "yes all my children except my youngest are going to Hogwarts. This'll be Ron's first year."

At the mention of his name the boy's face again turned bright red. She caught his eye for a second but he instantly looked away, she noticed him fidgeting and tugging at his strange woolen shirt with an R stitched across the front.

"Mum," another of the boys said in an exasperated voice and it was only then that Hermione realised that they were twins.

"Oh alright George," his mother replied.

"I'm not George, he is," the boy replied irritably, "Honestly woman, and you call yourself our mother."

"Well off you go then Fred," she pointed at the wall and he instantly walked towards it.

"I'm only joking, I am George."

The woman huffed at them but the boy and his twin had just disappeared into the wall.

She saw her father's mouth drop but he quickly hid it behind his hand.

"Don't you worry about your girl, I'll make sure she gets on the train," The woman said to her mother.

"That's very kind of you," Hermione's mother replied the relief evident in her voice, "I'm sorry I haven't asked for your name."

"It's Molly, Molly Weasley."

While her parents quickly asked Molly Weasley questions about the school Hermione caught a glimpse of something or someone rather, standing behind the woman.

"Hello," Hermione greeted her.

The girl's eyes widened when she spoke to her.

"Hello," she replied stepping out from behind her mother.

"I'm Hermione."

The girl stared at her then at her parents.

"Are you muggles?" the girl questioned slowly.

"My parents are yes, but I have magical ability, at least I think I do," she replied.

The girls face fell and she looked at Hermione sadly.

"You shouldn't go to Hogwarts."

Hermione was taken a back, did this girl not like muggle borns at Hogwarts? She had read about prejudices of this kind in one of her books.

"Why?"

"My dad said – "

"What did dad say?"

The girl gasped and turned round to see her brother standing beside them now. He looked at Hermione and blushed slightly before looking back at his sister.

"You listening in on dad on the floo again?"

"I didn't mean to," the girl replied vehemently.

Her brother snorted as though he didn't believe her.

"That's why he had to go in to work so suddenly this morning."

"What do you mean?" he asked her his face furrowing in confusion.

"RON!"

The boy jumped at his mothers scream.

"Get on the platform before you miss the train."

"Alright," he mumbled, "No need to shout like a harpie. Come on then Ginny."

Hermione watched as he and his sister walked through the brick wall. She swallowed nervously and looked up at the woman who was standing with her parents.

"Go on dear, best to do it with a bit of a run if you're nervous."

Hermione nodded and waved goodbye to her parents before rushing towards the wall.

"Whoa!"

Hermione opened her eyes and saw that she had almost run straight into the boy and his sister.

"Oh sorry I –"

But her words died on her lips.

"Wow!" she said walking forwards to look at the train.

"Hurry now."

Hermione turned to see the boy's mother running over to them.

"I'll take care of these, you two just get on before all the seats are full."

"Whose that?" the boy called Ron questioned.

"Oh this boy just wanted to know how to get onto the platform."

Hermione looked over her shoulder at the dark haired boy with broken glasses. She heard him mumble his name, Harry something, before she stepped onto the train. A few moments later the red haired boy and the other boy boarded the train.

"Don't worry Gin, I'll write to tell you all about it," he shouted out the window as the train began to move out of the platform.

But instead of replying to her brother the girl was looking at her, a strange expression on her face, a mixture of sadness and pity.

Hermione jumped when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder.

"You, you're coming with me."

"Hey!" the red haired boy said instantly stepping up to her.

Hermione turned round to see a tall boy wearing a green uniform.

"All the muggle borns need to be given a  _special speech_  before they get to Hogwarts," the boy said, though she didn't like the way he said 'special speech' and neither did either of the boys next to her.

"Don't worry, you'll see enough of her later," the boy smirked, "In fact I'll put in a special word for you if you like the mudblood so much."

She saw the red haired boy's eyes narrow at this, and as she followed the older boy away he stared after her a concerned expression on his face.

"What's a 'mudblood'?" the other boy questioned.

But the red haired boy didn't reply, he just watched her as she left.

* * *

"In you go," the boy said as he pushed her into an empty carriage

She was at least glad she wasn't alone but the sight before her didn't exactly fill her with giddiness or confidence.

The curtains were pulled in the carriage and it took a while to get used to the dark but when she did she saw the dark figures around her were just like her, all first years. She saw some of the girls on the floor huddled together and she walked over to them. Everyone else in the room stared at her wide eyed but they didn't seem capable of speech, but she heard the girls on the ground whispering to each other.

"What's going on?" she said knelling down beside them.

They all gasped and spun around to look at her.

Silence descended on the group, only broken when one of the girls started crying. Some of the girls around her placed their arms around her to comfort her.

"Y– you a muggleborn too?" a girl with brown hair questioned.

Hermione nodded.

At her response several of the other girls began crying as well.

"What's going on?" she repeated her question staring around at the group as panic began to rise within her.

Instead of replying one of the girls handed her a newspaper article.

" _Minister Missing?! New Minister Malfoy elected_ ," she read the headline on the front page before looking up at the girls.

"Keep reading," the brown haired girl said in response.

Hermione's eyes quickly skimmed the rest of the paper before her hands began to shake.

" _Efficient and effective measures to deal with the Muggleborn issue_."

Hermione's breathing increased as she looked up at the girls around her.

"Ah no need to explain the basics to you then."

They all turned to see the boy in green robes who had grabbed her earlier and another girl beside him. A few of the kids around her shifted away from them as they stepped further into the room.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, servants."

 **'** _**Dear Mum and Dad,** _ **_I can't help but think that this world is cruel_ ** _**...'** _

* * *

 


	2. You left me hanging from a thread

" _Dear Mum and Dad,_

_How are you? I am fine…._

_Actually I am not fine. I am the exact opposite of fine, as far away from being fine as it is humanly possible._

_I want to come home, take me home. I hate it here. I am treated like a slave everyday. I get spat at, shouted at and treated like I'm worthless, less than worthless, as though my very existence is a burden on those around me._

_I didn't have the nerve to tell you this before, but it's been like this since first year. I stubbornly refused to give up for five years but now I can't take it anymore._

_I thought that I would be able to start over here. But I can't fight anymore, I'm tired of fighting. Everyday I wake up with the realisation that I will never escape this place and I can't help but feel that this is a cruel world. How can the government let this happen? Why isn't anyone fighting to free us?_

_But I don't care anymore about anyone else, all I want is to leave this place._

_Please, please take me home!"_

Hermione chewed at the end of her quill and stared at the parchment in front of her. The bustle and noise of the kitchen couldn't distract from this one task. Sighing she scrunched up the piece of paper and jammed it into her pocket.

She desperately wanted to tell her parents everything that had happened to her over the last five years but she couldn't bring herself to tell them. She knew before this whole thing started that she was as stubborn as hell, but now it was beyond ridiculous.

"There you are."

Hermione started and looked up from the table. Anna walked towards her, her arms laden with dirty linens.

"Can you help me?"

Hermione instantly stood up and helped her friend place the linens on the table.

"Did you have much trouble?" Hermione asked her friend as they separated the linens into piles.

"No," Anna replied, "I told you they're always gone around now."

Hermione mused on this for a moment.

"This one's yours."

Hermione looked up to see her friend handing her white and red stripped pillow cases with grass stains on them.

Hermione sighed.

"What does he wear these to Quiddicth practice or something," she said as she looked at them despairingly.

"You're as cheerful as ever," Lavender said as she entered the kitchen side stepping a few elves who were rushing with last minute dinner preparations.

Hermione didn't bother to reply but simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Writing to your parents again?" Anna asked when she didn't reply.

Hermione simply nodded her head.

Lavender dropped down into the seat across the table. She reached across the table and began sorting out the sheets

"We wouldn't blame you for leaving," Lavender said looking up momentarily before returning to her work, "Merlin knows you aren't the first or last."

Hermione slumped over the table. It was true that most of the kids left the first day, and not just the first years. Who could blame them? To suddenly be told that their classmates, the people they have lived with for the past few years essentially owned them.

Hermione had thought that the newly created government would try to stop them leaving. It was only after she saw all the muggleborn students packing their bags and walking towards the train that would take them home did she realise the truth. The ministry officials, the other students they weren't trying to stop them, they had let them go.

Because the truth was that they weren't trying to enslave the muggleborns, not really, they were trying to get rid of them, to weed them out from the pureblood society.

Hermione looked over at her friend before she spoke.

"Parvati really did leave then?" she said softly dragging another grass stained bed sheet towards her.

Lavender simply nodded.

"Padma's still here though," Anna replied as though this were something to celebrate.

"Yeah well Ravenclaws don't treat us as badly as the rest," Lavender explained a hint of bitterness in her voice, "Padma told me that some of them had actually started teaching their servants some basic magic."

"Well that's only because they want to make sure that their servants get the right books for them in the library, and of actual use to them in their studies," Hermione replied, "Why couldn't I be sorted into Ravenclaw rather than to Gryffindor where the highlight of their lives is the next Quidditch game."

"Their not all bad, besides I feel worse for the Slytherin's," Anna said softly as she walked over to the large wooden tub in the corner of the room. She threw the sheets in before she began throwing in the white detergent soap.

The elves around her looked as though they wanted to rush over and help her, their natural instincts to help warring with the knowledge of what would happen if they did.

Hermione looked down at her hands where the silver bracelets were strapped to her wrists and her fingers traced the red burn marks around them.

She tried not to think about how they had come to wear what were essentially handcuffs, but it was hard to keep the memory drifting back into her thoughts after they had just been talking about Parvati.

" _Well since you all know so much we can skip the explanations," the boy they know knew as Marcus Flint said before he opened a crate beside him._

_The kids around her screamed in pain as objects began to fly towards them. But it was no use, no matter how much they screamed or tried to fight them off the silver bracelets strapped themselves to their wrists and ankles. It had hurt at first like they were burning into her skin but the pain soon subsided._

" _I would explain the rules behind these little trinkets," the girl beside Marcus said before smiling at them, "But you are at Hogwarts to learn so I think we should let you learn the rules on your own."_

_After all the others students had left the great hall, the muggle born children were quickly sorted before being dragged off to their respective house dormitories._

_They should have been going to sleep in their beds but instead they were told to sleep on the floor in front of their 'Masters' rooms._

_Hermione spent that night, as she was pretty sure all the other children had, wide awake and terrified for what the future held for them._

_When morning came she was stiff, sore and cold from being forced to lay on the cold stone floors. The sun had barely begun to rise when they were all dragged up from the floor and lead towards the lower catacombs of the school._

_That was the first time she had seen elves, and it was the first time she had seen someone almost die before her. She shivered as the memory of Parvati writhing in pain on the floor flashed before her eyes._

"Hermione," she heard Lavender beside her.

She looked over at her trying her best to smile.

"I know…" Lavender said before a long pause lapsed between them.

"At least your Master doesn't treat you like rubbish," Hermione said grabbing the pile of linens and walking over to another large wooden basin before tossing them inside with as much spite as was possible.

"Nope, he just ignores I'm there," Lavender replied, "But your right Seamus is better than that idiot you have."

"Don't I know it," Hermione mumbled to herself as she used the large wooden ladle to mix the water around.

She gripped the handle much tighter than was necessary.

"Do you know what sucks the most," she said after silence had once again lapsed between them.

"What?" Anna questioned looking over at her.

"I hate that the person I've become."

"Well we all hate being servants," Lavender replied.

"No," Hermione said with a sigh, "This isn't me, I'm not this submissive little – coward who just accepts the fact that she gets ordered around but the most egotistical, arrogant, brain dead git in the entire planet."

Hermione sighed once more before looking up at her the two friends she had left at Hogwarts.

"I just want to be me again."

The two girls didn't know how to reply to this so they simply nodded at her before returning to their work.

"If you do go back," Lavender said later as they were folding up the linens, "At least you have friends back home."

"Oh, that boy that visited you during third year," Anna recalled, "He sounded sweet."

"I didn't actually get to see him, I was staying here for Christmas and my parents only told me about it later," Hermione explained, "And besides we only knew each other in first grade, I'm surprised he still remembers me."

"What was his name again?"

"Lance," Hermione replied, "At least I think it was."

She thought about this for a moment. She hadn't seen or heard from him since and it was so strange that he visited her at all, she wondered what it was that he wanted. Her parents gave her his new address and telephone number but she never wrote to him, why on earth would she divulge her problems to someone she knew for a few months when she was six years old.

"Oww, son-of- a…" Hermione rubbed her hands as she was literally shocked back to reality. She dried her hands off before standing up, "Guess who's back from practice and hungry no doubt."

Hermione turned round and walked over to where the house elves were clearing the dishes.

"I'm coming you impatient jerk," Hermione grumbled as the electic shock ran through her hands and she quickly placed the tray of food in her arms and walked out of the kitchen.

She saw the stream of students rushing out the Great Hall as she took the servants route up the numerous levels of the schools. She banged her elbows a few times against the narrow passageway but was careful not to lose her balance, it wouldn't be the first time someone broke a limb walking up the endless flights of stairs in the under lit corridor.

She steadied her breathing when she finally reached the Gryffindor common room. She leaned against the wall for a moment to compose herself before she pushed on the wall in front of her.

The wooden bookshelf gave way and slid away. Light flooded the dark corridor which she stood and after allowing her eyes to adapt to the light she stepped forwards into the room.

"About bloody time."

Hermione gritted her teeth before walking over to one of the tables in the common room where she saw the boys still dressed in their Quidditch robes. Her Master didn't look up at her, he never did unless he had to, but she knew those blue eyes well enough. They only looked at her with disgust and in the rarest of moments even pity, both of which sparked only anger within her

She placed the tray down in front of her Master before quickly moving back towards the shadows, praying that he wouldn't speak to her today.

"I'm dead tired," he said to his friends ruffling his ginger hair with one hand and picking up a glass of water with the other.

'You're tired?' she glared at him when he jangled the empty glass in the air.

She clenched her fists to stop herself from hitting him over the head with it but instead she reached over and filled up the glass with more water from the jug on the table.

"Don't you ever stop eating?"

Hermione shifted to the shadows when she heard the female voice behind her.

"Oh Gin," her brother smiled up at her.

Ginevra Weasley rolled her eyes at her brother.

"And what exactly have you mis-fits been up to tonight?" she questioned him her arms crossing over her chest.

"Us? Nothing," her brother replied innocently, "Ain't that right Harry?"

Hermione kept her head low but she saw the black shoes walk past her before the boy spoke.

"Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary," Harry replied slumping down into the seat beside his friend.

"You see we're as innocent as flobberworms," her Master replied.

"Just hurry up and eat so I can leave already," Hermione groaned internally, "I don't want to listen to your stupid jokes."

Hermione looked up when silence suddenly descended upon the room.

Everyone was looking at her.

A smile slowly spread over Ginevra Weasleys face before she and several of the other students began laughing.

Hermione stared at them horrified.

"D-did I just say that out loud?"

Harry chuckled at her.

"You sure did," he said before looking over at his friend, "Ron, you never told me she was so funny."

Her Master glowered at her his face turning red with anger.

"Why are you still standing their gaping at us? Get lost already!"

Hermione didn't need to be told twice. She instantly ran over to the bookshelf and pressed against it. It slid away and she ran into the dark corridor before running the rest of the way back down the stairs, but the sound of laughter continued to echo down the corridor.

Half way down the stairs she stopped and leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath.

The image of her Master's furious face burned in her memory.

She was going to get it now. He wasn't going to let this go.

"Why did I have to get shackled with that idiot," she groaned holding her head in her hands, "I can't believe I actually thought he was nice."

Her memory went back to the day they met on the train station but she quickly pushed that memory aside.

'That was before he knew that I was a mudblood.'

* * *

She awoke the sound of Anna coughing beside her.

"Are you alright?" she questioned her friend sleepily.

Anna nodded before sitting up.

"It was just really cold last night," her friend replied in a hoarse voice.

"I know," Lavender agreed sitting up from the floor, "I thought I was going to freeze to death."

"Really?" Hermione said in surprise, "I didn't notice the cold at all."

Her friends looked at her in surprise.

She saw the shadow across the corridor before she heard her Master groan.

"Would you idiots stop gossiping and get out the way so I can have a bath?"

Hermione and the other girls jumped up from the floor instantly.

The boys walked out the room and towards the boy's bathroom. She saw Lavender bow at Seamus as he walked past but he ignored her as always. At least Neville nodded slightly when Anna bowed at him. Hermione meanwhile glared at the back of the person she hated the most in the world.

"I hope you freeze from the water. Git," Hermione said through clenched teeth.

She felt lavender jab her in the ribs.

"Ow! What?"

Lavender simply stared over Hermione's shoulder.

She saw Harry Potter looking at her with an amused expression.

He didn't say anything but continued to smile as he followed his friends into the boy's bathroom.

"Great," Hermione groaned, "What are the chances of him telling my Master?"

Her friends didn't reply they just patted her back before they all turned and walked down stairs to begin their morning chores.

* * *

She watched Lavender dancing around the dorm room. The boys had gone to class and they were tidying up the room before they returned.

"Why so happy?" she questioned as she picked up the books that had fallen off her Master's desk.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lavender replied, "Its – the – last – day – before – Christmas – break!"

Lavender danced around the room as she spoke causing Hermione and Anna to burst into laughter. Lavender began swaying towards Anna.

"Come on, let's at least have some fun," she urged the girls.

Anna bit her lip before she too began dancing all the while cleaning the room.

"This feels like a scene out of Mary Poppins," Hermione laughed when Anna dragged her over to the centre of the room.

Lavender giggled.

"Sing us a song Hermione," she said sitting down on Seamus bed.

"Get off! Do you want them coming in and seeing you?" Hermione said when Anna joined Lavender.

"Come on," Lavender sighed before falling back onto the bed, "They're all in class right now, whose going to see us?"

"I don't know but you shouldn't, it's against the rules," even though she hated every word she was saying, she couldn't break her habit of following the rules especially those given by teachers.

Lavender sighed again but much more dramatically.

"Hermione I order you to rest for five seconds!" Lavender shouted in a deep voice while pointing at her.

Anna fell off the bed laughing.

"What was that?!"

"That was Ronald," Lavender replied as though it were completely obvious.

"Please, he does not sound like that," Hermione huffed, "And please refrain from calling my Master by his first name."

"Oh right, sorry," Lavender said sarcastically, "How about Weasley? Or ginger top?"

"Stop it!" Hermione spun around to look at her friend.

Both Lavender and Anna stared at her in shock.

"If you must call him something," she said crossing her arms, "You should call him – 'Git' or 'moron', either one will do, I'm not too picky."

Hermione's face broke into a smile as her friends laughed loudly.

"I thought you were going to go mental on us," Lavender said between breaths.

"You looked scary for a second there," Anna added giggling.

"Like I care what you call him," Hermione replied turning around to straighten the sheets, "But to me he will always be 'Master'. I can't think of him as a person, because no person would treat anyone the way he treats me, as though I don't even deserve to breathe the same air as him. I really wish he would just fall off his broom or better yet the astronomy tower so that I can leave this place."

Silence followed her rant and she wondered if she had gone too far. It was true that they both knew she hated him but they didn't know how deep her hatred for her Master went.

She turned around to see her friends staring at her wide eyed.

"Okay that may have been a bit over dramatic," she tried to laugh off but neither of them replied, instead they turned around to finish cleaning the room.

'What the hell? I wasn't that out of line.'

Hermione sighed.

'I gotta learn to stop talking so much.'

* * *

Hermione handed her Master his backpack as he and the other students lined up to board the train. He took the bag off her but continued to look at her.

She looked up at him curiously.

'What? What now?'

He stared at her with fierce eyes and a frown on his face.

'I knew it, he's not going to let me get away for making fun of him.'

Hermione sighed internally.

'Just do it, whatever you're planning, just get it over with.'

"Uh…see you."

With those words he turned and boarded the train.

She watched him leave without a word.

"Okay. That was weird."

'This can only mean he hasn't thought of a way to get back at me yet,' Hermione thought to herself as she collected her own belongings and began handing them to the train conductor for the muggleborn train, 'I'm not surprised, he's not the sharpest crayon in the box.'

"Alright servants over here."

Hermione looked over to the man who had called them. She knew who he was, only because her Master had spoken of him often, and not in a good way. But who was she to judge, anyone who that idiot thought was bad was probably the nicest person in the world.

"Come here so I can take your bracelets off," he ordered them.

Once they had walked over to him, they held their hands out. He waved his wand and the bracelets and anklets disappeared. He waved his wand again and Hermione watched in awe as the scars and bruises on her hands and wrists disappeared.

"That's all," the man said stepping away from them while holding a handkerchief over his crooked nose as though they physically repelled him.

'Okay maybe he is a jerk after all,' Hermione thought to herself before she and her friends boarded the train.

* * *

Hermione drank the juice before gritting her teeth.

She hated this part the most.

"How was your semester so far?" her dad asked her over his newspaper.

"Fine," she replied smiling broadly, "We're in fifth year so it's a bit hectic but I'm learning loads of new stuff."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, your grades have been great so far," her father said encouragingly.

Hermione simply smiled, neither of her parents knew that she had just shown them fake copies of her grades. She had managed to copy her Master's report card, and after momentarily marvelling at how horrible he was at his subjects she quickly changed the grades and placed her name on top before sending the copy to her parents.

"Oh I wish we could see you do some magic," Her mother sighed as she placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Hermione.

"You know I can't," Hermione said as she began eating, "Or I'd get in trouble."

That wasn't really true, the Ministry abolished that laws years earlier, but it was more convenient for her if her parents didn't know that.

"Oh Lance called again," her mother said as she sipped her tea, "He's wondering why you haven't called him or written to him yet."

"I've been busy mum, and besides why is he so keen on talking to me anyway?"

"Don't you remember?" her mother said in surprise.

"No," Hermione replied genuinely confused.

She thought she heard her dad chuckle but he didn't speak.

"He followed you around like a lost puppy," her mother explained, "He said that you saved him from some bullies when you were kids, but he never got to thank you. He really wants to thank you in person."

Hermione mused on this for a moment.

"What's he look like? I don't even remember."

"Oh he's quite a good looking boy now, tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes."

Her father really did laugh this time.

"If you like him so much why don't you date him dear?"

Hermione giggled at this, her mother did have a sparkle in her eyes when she spoke about him.

"Don't be ridiculous," she scolded her father, "I'm just saying, a nice boy comes and visits, and all he wants is to say thank you, and you can't spare him one minute?"

Hermione sighed before throwing her hands up in the air.

"Fine, I'll see him."

Her mother clapped her hands happily.

"Good, I've got his number right here," her mother opened her diary and pulled out a piece of paper.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her mother.

"How long have you had this in there for?"

"Don't look at me like that," her mother replied, "I'm worried about you Hermione, you don't bring any friends over and I wonder if you're really doing okay at that school of yours."

"I'm fine," she said but she looked down at the phone number rather than look at her mother.

When she finally did look up she saw her mother watching her carefully.

"I promise to call him later," she said rolling her eyes.

Her mother simply smiled.

'If all he wants is to say thanks then I guess that won't be so bad,' Hermione thought to herself as she finished her breakfast.

Hermione watched her parents leave for work before she was finally able to relax. She hated lying to them, but it would be worse to tell them to truth and have them worry about her. She walked slowly into her father's library and fell back into the arm chair next to the fire place.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

The next moment the phone rang causing her to fall off the chair and land on the tiled floors. As she rubbed her backside she walked over to her dad's desk and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Granger residence."

"Hermione, its mum here, just wanted to let you know that we're working late tonight, have you had dinner yet?"

"Wha -?" Hermione said sleepily rubbing her eyes, "What time is it?"

Silence followed her statement.

"It's almost five Hermione, have you been asleep the whole day?"

"Yeah," she replied shocked as much as her mother was, "I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"Hmm, have you called Lance yet?"

Hermione wanted to tell her mother that she didn't give a damn about the stupid boy who her mother seemed in love with.

"No, not yet, look I'll make my own dinner, and I'll see you later."

"Alright, we'll see you later, love you darling."

"Love you too," she replied before hanging up the phone.

She leaned against the desk before walking out of the room and upstairs to have a shower before she made dinner.

An hour later as she was watching some strange television drama, she wasn't really watching it but she just didn't want to feel alone right now. She jumped when the phone rang, and she went to pick it up.

"Hello, Granger Residence."

Silence followed her statement.

"Hello?"

She heard something on the other side of the line but no one spoke.

"Jerk," she said as she placed the phone back on the receiver.

"Guess I'll go to bed," she said to herself.

* * *

"Hermione?"

She groaned and turned around to look at her mum.

"We're leaving for work now, breakfast is on the table," her mother said from beside her bed, "Remember to call Lance."

"A'right," she said as she yawned, "Have're good day."

Her mother sighed before she left Hermione's room.

She waited for her parents leave before she got up from bed.

"Another eventful day no doubt," she said to her reflection.

After having a shower she walked down the stairs to find pancakes on the table with a hot pot of tea. She couldn't help but smile as a warmth spread through her at the thought of her parents.

She sat down and began to reach for the pancakes when something caught her eye,

She groaned and placed the fork back down on the table.

Her mother had left her a note on her plate.

' _Call Lance after breakfast, and pick up some groceries.'_

"She doesn't let up does she, guess I get my stubborn streak from both my parents," she said as she placed the note down beside her.

After she had cleared the dishes she walked outside and sat down on the swing in the yard.

She watched the clouds for a while before she reached into her pocket and looked at the phone number on the piece of paper.

Thinking of her mother she stood up and walked back inside the house.

"Alright, lets see what's so great bout this Lance," she said as she began to dial the phone.

After a moment she heard the phone begin to ring.

'He's probably not home anyway,' she comforted herself.

The last thing she wanted was an awkward conversation with someone she barely knew.

'Okay, if he doesn't pick up in the next five seconds I am hanging up.'

'One.'

RING!

'Two.'

RING!

'Three. Too bad, sounded like a nice guy.'

RING!

'Four. Nice not knowing you.'

"Five."

"Hello?"

"Oh," Hermione said in shock pulling the phone back to her ear, "Hi, um this is Hermione – Granger, you told my mum….well you wanted me to call you."

Silence.

"Um…hello? Are you there?"

She was getting annoyed now.

"Who are you looking for?" the male voice asked.

"Oh," Hermione bit her lip, she was so shocked that someone had picked up that she didn't tell the person who she was looking for, "Um, Lance, I think…"

Silence.

"Just a moment," the man replied.

A few seconds later, though it felt much longer to her she heard the phone being picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Hermione."

"Hermione? It's so good to hear from you, thanks for calling back."

"Yeah, my mum said you wanted to talk?"

"Oh yeah, um, I'd rather do it in person, could we meet?"

"Uh," Hermione hesitated a moment.

That didn't sound good, she wasn't expecting to meet him, what if he was some crazy stalker, after all he had practically harassed her mother.

"I don't know," she said slowly.

"Just meet me at 'Le Morte Café' in an hour and I'll explain everything."

"But – "

The next moment she heard the phone being hung up.

"What the hell?!" Hermione said as she stared at the phone in her hand.


	3. I lick my wounds but I can't ever see them getting better

Hermione turned down the street and continued through the crowds until she reached the small coffee shop wedged between two book stores. This was her favourite place to relax during her holidays, but today the very sight of it made her queasy.

She spun around and turned back up the street.

'Ridiculous. Who says I have to meet him?' she let out a puff air in frustration causing her curly tendrils to fly out of her face before falling back into her eyes.

'Stupid.'

As she pushed her hair out of her face and pushed her hands into her trench coat she wasn't sure what she was talking about.

'What kind of person just announces that you will meet him as though it were a fact.'

She cringed and berated herself.

'And what kind of person actually listens to that command?'

She sighed and stopped in the crowded street.

'After years of being ordered around I guess I've become used to just doing as I'm told, no questions asked.'

"How pathetic," she whispered to herself.

She felt someone knock into her shoulder and she was able to quickly regain her footing so as to not fall face first into the pavement.

'Okay, here's the deal,' she made a compromise with herself, 'If I go there and he's a jerk, I have every right to tell him off.'

She nodded her head in determination before walking a back towards the store, she pushed the hair out of her face as the wind blew against her face.

'Or he could just not show – then I'll look like…'

She trailed off as she stared into the store.

'Well…'

Her eyes scanned the Le Morte Café until her eyes locked on a boy in the corner of the store.

'How long has he been sitting there?' she wondered taking a step closer to the store.

There in the corner of the store, book in hand was the most ordinary person she had ever set eyes on. Nothing about him screamed 'stalker-killer', and in fact if his face said anything it was 'nice to meet you'.

The brown haired boy's pale coloured eyes zoomed across the page but every now and then his eyes would snap up when he heard the bell of the door open or close. A flash of disappointment would cross his face before he returned to his book.

'He looks harmless enough,' Hermione told herself taking another step forward.

'Yeah it's the harmless ones you have to look out for,' she debated with herself for a moment before gathering her courage and opening the door.

His eyes instantly met hers.

She could almost feel her mouth drop the floor.

She hadn't been able to see him clearly from outside, where the frost on the glass had left out a few minor details about the person now smiling at her.

She swallowed, to make sure her mouth was still attached and to make sure she didn't just drool all over the floor, it wouldn't do to have other customers tripping in front of her.

'Get a hold of yourself,' her rational voice said, 'He's not that good looking.'

As she walked forwards she saw that he was tall, he almost looked comical sitting in the coffee shop chair, but rather than laugh she saw several of the customers staring, shamelessly staring, at the brown haired stranger with pale eyes and pearly white smile.

'Hormones! Yep, hormones, this is the first guy you've seen outside Hogwarts, its natural for you to…did that girl just wink at him?'

She walked past the girls in the table beside her and stepped up to him. She cleared her throat and tried her best to look indifferent and stern.

'Remember the game plan.'

"Lance?"

"Hermione?" he replied his voice cautious yet hopeful.

'Hang on, I should be the one cautious, not you. Snap out of it.'

She must have responded because the next moment he had stood up and pulled out the chair for her. And before she knew it she was sitting across from him and he was smiling at her.

"Uh sorry did you say something?" she said shaking her head to clear it.

'Concentrate, don't…okay just don't drool on him.'

"Yeah, just wanted to apologise for suddenly asking you out like this."

"Oh well," she paused and looked away awkwardly, "That's okay."

'No its not, what about telling him off?!'

'Shut up he's talking again.'

"Did you want something to drink, the least I could do is treat you to some tea," he waved over a waiter before looking at her expectantly.

She nodded her head before looking at the menu.

"I'll have the…um mint and ginger tea with honey," she handed the waiter the menu and wondered why he didn't move away to get her drink.

The waiter looked at her strangely before handing the menu back to Lance. Hermione felt her face heat up when she realised that he didn't have any drinks in front of him, he must have waited for her to arrive before ordering.

"I'll have the same," Lance replied refusing the menu the waiter offered.

The waiter nodded before shuffling off to get their drinks.

An awkward silence followed, or at least she thought it was, but Lance seemed content to sit in silence.

"So…" she said slowly trying her best not to fidget.

"You must be wondering why I was so persistent in seeing you," Lance said.

"A little," she said biting back the sarcastic comeback she felt on the tip of her tongue.

"I actually have to return something to you," he reached into his jacket just as the cell phone on the table began to ring.

He continued to reach for whatever was in his pocket and Hermione just stared at the phone.

"Um," she said in embarrassment as the other customers began to glare at her, "You wanna get that?"

He turned back to look at her.

"Sorry?"

"Your phone," she said nodding towards it, "You gonna pick it up."

"Oh," he said before looking at it, "Excuse me a moment."

He then stood up and walked outside to answer the phone.

"Here's your tea," the waiter said placing the cup down in front of her.

She thanked him and placed her cold hands around the cup to warm herself up.

"I'm glad you came," the waiter said as he placed Lance's tea down on the table, "He's been here for a while just standing at the door, he practically pounced on every person who walked in the door. I was finally able to convince to take this seat, after telling him he would have a perfect view of the door."

The waiter rolled his eyes as though he had seen this several times before.

"Ex boyfriend huh?"

Before she could respond with a 'of course not and what business is it of yours,' the waiter shuffled off once more.

She slumped over in her seat and sipped her tea. She looked out the window and saw Lance talking on his phone. He saw her staring and he gave her a brief wave before he continued talking.

"Okay if he's longer than two minutes, I'm leaving," she grumbled.

'But then again at least he excused himself first. But he's still leaving me here alone, while everyone and his dog is staring at me.'

She looked up from her cup when she heard someone sit down in front of her.

"Is anything wrong?" she said looking up at him.

Her face quickly hardened.

"Can I help you?" she said as the stranger sat down, a few of his friends grabbing seats and dragging them over to.

"No," the boy said smirking at his friends, "Just didn't think a pretty lady like you should be sitting all on her lonesome."

She rolled her eyes.

"Can I help you?"

Hermione turned around when she heard her own words repeated. Lance stood behind her seat staring down at the boys.

The boys scoffed before they too stood up and stepped forwards.

"Exit's that way," Lance said pointing at the door.

Gone was the kind smile he had shown her. Instead his face was cold and impassive as he stepped forward and as the boys looked up at him they realised how tall he was.

"Like we'd be interested in her anyway, we were just playing round," the boy said before he led his friends out of the store.

Lance watched them leave with frown on his face, before he took his seat.

"Sorry about leaving you like that," he said looking at her in concern.

"That's okay, trust me I've been treated worse than that."

This caused Lance to look at her curiously, but instead of asking he took a sip of the tea. A look of surprise came over his face before he took another sip.

"This is pretty good," he said grinning at her.

She laughed at the goofy expression on his face.

"Yeah, it's my favourite drink, ginger and mint help ease tension and the honey as well as being sweet is actually good for you, health-wise I mean."

She saw Lance looking at her in silence.

'Crap, there goes my mouth again.'

"How do you know that?" he asked taking another sip.

"Something I read somewhere," she said dismissively.

"Well that's really interesting," he replied.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" he asked and she quickly tried to rearrange her face.

"That's the first time someone's ever…"

'That someone's hasn't made me curse my oral disorder.'

Instead of continuing her sentence she began to stare at her cup. It was then that she noticed the book on the table.

"Oh what's this?" she leaned over to read the title, "Arthurian legends?"

She looked up at him before speaking once more.

"You're interested in medieval history?"

"Oh," he rubbed his neck as though embarrassed before shoving the book into his jacket, "Just something my mum got me for Christmas. She's insane," he continued rolling his eyes, "She expects me to memorise it and she's going to quiz me tomorrow."

Hermione burst out laughing.

"Are you serious? That sounds – "

"Yeah I know," Lance nodded.

"Horrible." "Fantastic."

He cocked his head to one side as he looked at her.

"Fantastic?" he said before chuckling.

"Well I'd love to study things like that at school," she said wistfully, "But…"

Hermione took another sip of her tea.

"Things are difficult at school."

She looked up and saw Lance watching her, no judgment on his face. She swallowed her tea before continuing.

"There's this guy…he likes to order me around, he's such a jerk," she gritted her teeth as her thoughts returned to her Master.

"He's bullying you?" Lance said a hint of anger in his voice.

"No, well…" she trailed off not really sure how to explain her situation to him, "It's complicated."

Lance simply smiled.

"Waiter," he called over the man who served them previously, "we're going to need more tea."

"And cake," Hermione added.

"And cake," Lance agreed.

When the waiter left Lance turned back to her.

"So, you were saying?"

* * *

After a few hours of talking Hermione felt a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Of course, Lance didn't know that she was actually forced into servitude at her magical school, because lets face it who would believe her? Instead she made him believe that she was attending a boarding school where there were certain cliques and bullying was pretty much ignored by teachers.

He had spent most of the time listening to her but every now and then would ask her questions like 'how long has this been going on' or 'what does this person look like'. She briefly wondered if he were going to try and track down those people and do merlins knows what with them, but he laughed at her suggestion and said that he just wanted to know more about her life.

"We should leave soon," he said as he looked at his watch, "I think the store closes in ten minutes time."

Hermione looked around the café in alarm, and sure enough it was now completely empty. She was shocked to see how dark it had become outside and she bit back a curse before hurriedly getting up from her seat.

"I better get home before my mum sends out a search party."

"Oh no need to worry about your mum," Lance said as he helped her into her coat, "She was the one who called earlier, she wanted to make sure that you were actually meeting me."

Hermione rolled her eyes at this as she buttoned up her coat.

"Yeah I'd be careful," she warned him as he paid the waiter at the front counter, "I think she's already choosing the China for our wedding."

He laughed at this as they walked out into the evening air.

"She's just concerned about you," he said as they shuffled through the dwindling crowds, "She's been asking me for weeks to take you out."

Hermione felt a blush creep up her neck.

"Why would she do that?" she said in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry she bothered you."

"Don't be sorry," Lance said quickly, "I was glad to see you. I think she just wanted you to have someone to talk to, she said something about how you've been very evasive about your life lately."

Hermione sighed.

"Please don't tell them about what's happening," she pleaded looking up at him.

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "You can trust me, I'm not a spy sent by your parents to gather intel on you."

She laughed at his choice of words.

"You actually sound like a spy for a second there."

He chuckled.

"Well my dad's in the army," he explained, "but I don't think that's where I get the lingo from, I watch a lot of action movies."

"Oh," she said thoughtfully as a tremor of guilt spread through her.

She realised then that they had spent the whole time talking about her life, and that she really didn't know anything about Lance at all, apart from the fact that his mother home schooled him and was apparently an avid history buff.

"This your bus?" he questioned as they stood at the bus stop.

She turned and watched the bus pull up.

"No, I'm waiting for a different bus," she checked her pockets and felt the wand inside.

She remembered how distressed she had been when almost all her possessions were taken away from her. It was only the first week at Hogwarts that Parvati come running up to her with a carefully wrapped box in her hands.

_"It's yours isn't it?" Parvati questioned still out of breath._

_"Yes," Hermione said in disbelief, "How did you…"_

_Parvati smiled at her._

_"I go in my Master's dorm room while they are in class."_

_"Harry Potter had my wand?" she said in surprise._

_"No, I found yours in Ronald Weasley's desk," Parvati made a strange face, "It was actually underneath a hidden compartment in the bottom drawer."_

_Hermione's eyes widened._

_"My Master took my wand?" she said as anger coursed through her._

_'Wasn't it enough that he made me clean his room and get his meals for him? He had actually stolen my things as well?'_

"Uh Oh," she heard Lance say and she saw him look at her with concern, "I recongise that look. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," she shook her head dismissivly, "I'm still horrified that my mother had to order someone to escort me outside the house."

Lance laughed.

"Now whose talking strangely," he replied, "speaking of escorting you, are you busy tomorrow? I think there's a new movie out that supposed to be good."

Hermione considered this for a moment, she couldn't even remember how long its been since she'd seen a movie.

"Sounds good," she said, "But I'll have to ask my…well I'll just ask my dad, since he hasn't sold me off to you yet."

Lance frowned at her.

"You're not an item of clothing to just buy and sell," he said earnestly, "Just because those dic- uh…dorks at your school say that you are worthless doesn't make it true."

Hermione smirked at his attempt not to swear in front of her.

'How curious, perhaps he's not the perfect guy he's been trying to be all day. I wonder what he's really like?'

"Okay Henry," she giggled, "I shall persevere against those 'dorks'."

"Henry?" he questioned a confused look on his face.

"Nevermind," she said dismissively, "he's a character from my favourite book."

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully, "your bus is awfully late."

'Oh I forgot about that.'

"Why don't you go ahead, it'll be along shortly."

"Are you kidding? At this time of night?" he stared at her in alarm.

"I'll be fine," she reached into her pocket and showed him her phone, "I'll give you a call when I'm on the bus."

He looked conflicted but finally accepted after she physically began to push him back towards the shops.

"Be careful," he said waving goodbye as he walked down the street.

She sighed in relief before pulling out her wand and pointing it outwards. The Knightbus came blasting around the corner of the street before stopping in front of her.

She took her ticket and seat quickly before the bus bolted forwards. She pulled out her phone and gave Lance a quick call just as she promised.

He sounded relieved and admitted that he was just about to turn around and go back to her. Hermione laughed, hoping that her nervousness wasn't obvious over the phone.

"I'm a big girl," she said, "I can take care of myself."

"I know," he said, "But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't rely on those around you. There are a lot of people who care about you Hermione, don't ever forget that."

She thought that that was a strange thing to hear from someone she had just met but she smiled and thanked him anyway before they both hung up the phone.

She endured her mother's smug look as she was served reheated leftovers for dinner. But at least her mother resisted asking questions about what she and Lance did all day. Not that it was that eventful but she just didn't want her mother to think that she would trust someone she had only just met with her secrets rather than her own mother.

She prepared for bed that night feeling excited and energised for the next day, rather than her usual dread and exhaustion.

Of course she had considered Lavender and Anna her friends but this was different. She couldn't understand and maybe it had to do with the fact that she had known Lance from before she went to Hogwarts, that he remembered her as she was before, but she trusted him and she liked talking to him. He was funny and seemed to know exactly when to lighten the mood or just to listen to her in silence. Even after he heard about all the rubbish she had endured these past few years he didn't look at her with pity, rather he seemed to be expecting something from her.

What exactly she wasn't sure but she felt as though he knew she wouldn't just roll over and admit defeat to those who bullied her. It was strangely comforting to have someone believe in you to such an extent, while at the same time wanting to protect you.

She recalled their conversation earlier that day.

He was so adamant that he would make it up to her for what she did for him in first grade. She didn't want to tell him that she didn't remember the event but from the way he told the story she had swooped in just in time just as he was being attacked by some fifth graders. How or what she did to protect him she wasn't too sure about and he seemed to gloss over the details but he said he never looked at her the same again.

He looked away in embarrasement as he admitted that when his family moved away he still remembered her and promised himself that he would thank her properly the next time they met.

She really didn't know how to respond to that but simply squeezed his hand and said that she was glad she helped him out when she did and that he was definately worth saving.

He had looked at her strangely when she had said that but the next moment they had started talking about her school life and it was only as she brushed her teeth that night that she realised that she should have asked him more about his life.

'I'll ask him when I see him tomorrow,' she thought to herself.

The last thing she wanted was for her first real friend to think she was completely self involved.

As she snuggled into her bed that night she mumbled sleepily to herself.

"It's nice to have friends."

* * *

She met Lance the following morning at the local theatre.

He was again reading the book his mother gave him. He explained that his mother had given him a reprieve and he had until the end of the week before she would test him.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the look of joy and yet annoyance on his face.

They headed inside and he read through the list of movies to her.

"Vampires?" she said incredously, "No thanks."

"They're romantic vampires," he smirked at her, "Don't girls like romantic stuff?"

"No – thanks," she said again, "Not all girls are the same."

He looked back at the sheet of paper where the movies were listed without saying anything in response.

"Okay, this one then," he pointed at a movie on the list, "It's not Northanger Abbey but its still set in Victorian times."

Hermione stared up at him in shock.

"Oh yeah," he replied smugly when he saw the look on her face, "I raided my mum's library when I got home yesterday and finally with her assistance was able to find the famous Henry Tilney that you referred to yesterday."

"I'm impressed," she said honestly.

"So am I, it's quite forward of a girl to call a guy the equivalent of prince charming," he replied.

Hermione blushed at his words.

"That's not what – that's not even – the book isn't…"

She saw the piece of paper that he held in front of his face shaking and she grabbed the paper away just as he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Wow, Hermione that's a real temper you have on you," he continued to laugh when she scrunched up the paper and threw it forcefully at him before folding her arms across her chest.

"It was a joke," he said holding his hands up in mock surrender although he still had a smile on his face.

She tried to look annoyed but she felt the corners of her mouth twitch before she laughed as well.

"Okay lets go Henry," she said looking over to the ticket counter.

"After you Catherine," he said holding his arm.

"You really did read it," she said linking her arm in his.

"Bits and pieces, though I was cramming for my exam with my mother as well."

Hermione giggled when he made another face at the mention of his mother.

"Try this," she handed him a chip before grabbing one from the plate of fish and chips that they had bought after the movie.

"I can't believe you've never eaten fish and chips," she said incredously.

"Well my dad moves around a lot so I haven't really spent much time here in England," he replied grabbing another chip from the plate, "These are really good."

"Told you they were."

"You really enjoy being right, don't you?"

"No," she said before pausing to think about this for a moment, "When you're right, you're right, and I don't think people should get their wands in a twist when they are wrong."

Lance looked as though he had chocked on his food because the next moment he began coughing.

"You alright?"

He nodded his head but continued coughing.

"Did you just say 'wands in a twist'?" he said after taking a sip of his drink.

"Did I?"

'Crap, stupid mouth.'

"It's just a…a saying that the kids at my school have, it must have stuck."

She wondered if he would think she was strange or maybe he would realise she was a witch, but instead he shook his head in disbelief.

"Wow, those kids sure are weird."

"Sure are."

'You have no idea.'

After that their conversation returned to other topics and she thought he had forgotten about her outburst. But as he walked her back to the bus stop he was oddly quiet.

"You okay?" she asked as they sat watching the sky change from a pink hue to orange as the sun set.

"I have to ask," he said slowly before turning to her, "Why not just change schools?"

'Okay was not expecting that.'

"That's not possible," she said turning her attention back to the setting sun, "The people in my school – they have some very powerful friends."

Silence followed her statement.

"Is someone threatening you or your parents?" Lance questioned in concern.

"Not exactly," she shrugged.

She quickly changed the topic and Lance had the good manners not to bring it up again.

He waited with her for half an hour before she convinced him to go home first.

She watched him leave before her thoughts returned to the first time she met Draco Malfoy.

_She had been running down the stairs that lead out into the courtyard when she had tripped. She collided with a blonde haired boy and he had ended up dropping his bag as he fell. She watched in horror as all his books flew out of his bag before they fell onto the muddy and wet grounds._

_He glared up at her._

_"S-sorry," she said reaching forward to help him up._

_He swatted her hand away before standing up on his own._

_"What are you going to do about my books mudblood?" he said before he spat in her face._

_Hermione wiped the spit from her face before her hands clenched into fists._

_"I didn't do it on purpose," she retorted doing her best to control her anger, "and its not like you're seriously hurt."_

_"Not seriously hurt?" he spat back, "the fact that a mudblood like you even touched me makes me want to vomit. And look at the state of my clothes and books? How are you going to make up for it mudblood?"_

_He reached down and grabbed her by the hair._

_She cried out in pain despite herself._

_"Oi!"_

_Malfoy released her and she fell back to the ground._

_"I thought I told you to get my herbology book?"_

_Hermione looked behind her. Her master stood on top of the stairs his arms folded and his expression furious._

_"Weasley," Draco said almost in the same tone as he had called her._

_"Malfoy," her Master replied, "if I didn't know better I would think you were trying to take my servant away from me."_

_Malfoy laughed._

_"Who'd want a mudblood? Even as a slave?"_

_"Well I just thought since you Slytherins are the only house without servants that –"_

_"Well that just show's how stupid you are Weasley," Draco took a step forwards, "We Slytherin's only accept the best, no mudblood whore would ever get sorted into our house. Not like Gryffindor, where anyone and everything is accepted."_

_She saw her Master clench his fists in anger and as Draco stepped up to stand eye to eye to him, she could see his eyes narrow and face turn a furious red._

_"Say – that – one – more – time," he said to Malfoy through clenched teeth._

_"I'm not your slave Weasley," Draco turned and walked back inside the school, "You can't order me to do anything, don't ever forget who my Dad is."_

_"Wouldn't dream of it," her Master had said in response._

_Hermione released a sigh of relief but jumped in shock when her Master called her._

_"Would you hurry up and get my Herbology textbook already," he said before he too turned and walked back into school._

_She glared after him before standing up and walking this time to the Herbology greenhouse._

_"It's not like its my fault you forgot the book in the classroom," she grumbled._

She had avoided Malfoy like the plague since, but she still saw him now and then and each time he had spat in her face.

'I'm surprised he has enough saliva to go around,' she thought to herself.

Because it wasn't only her but he apparently spat or cursed any servant who got in his way.

'Guess you'd have a big head too if you're dad were Minister of Magic.'

She reached into her pocket and took out her wand.

As the Knight bus speed through the streets her thoughts returned to the Minister of Magic.

Was it really okay that his actions went unquestioned? Why hasn't anyone tried to get rid of him?

She considered this for a moment.

'If I ever met him I'd probably punch him,' she smiled as the mental image looped in her mind.

* * *

"Hello?"

She looked up from her breakfast the next day when her mother answered the telephone.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," her mother said glancing at Hermione before turning away again, "yes she's here, would you like to talk to her?"

Hermione bit into her apple as her mother handed her the cordless phone.

"It's Lance," her mother explained.

Hermione placed the phone to her ear, incredibly conscious that her parents were sitting next to her.

"Hey," she greeted him, "everything okay?"

"Horrible news," Lance groaned and she could hear the sound of people shouting in the background.

"What's wrong?" she asked genuinely concerned now, getting up from her seat and walking over to the window.

"My dad just got a new posting, we're leaving at the end of the week."

Hermione felt her stomach drop.

"End of the week?" she whispered back, "But..."

She trailed off not sure how to react. Over the last few days Lance had become almost like a lifeline for her, he was the only person she could truly be herself with.

"So is this goodbye?" she said after composing herself.

Silence.

"Lance?"

"Actually, I was kinda hoping we could hang out today," he seemed embarassed to be asking and he added quickly, "If you're not busy that is."

She felt a flutter of happiness spread through her.

"Yeah I'd love to, hang out that is," she smiled as she heard him release a sigh of relief.

"Where did you wanna meet?" he asked her.

"Actually, did you want to come over? We could watch a movie or I could give you that CD I was telling you about the other day. My parents are home today, I'm sure they'd love to see you," she turned around to see if this would be okay with her parents.

Her dad frowned and opened his mouth as though to refuse but she heard her mother kick him under the table and as he leaned over to rub his leg she nodded her head vigourously at her.

Hermione bit back a laugh and waited for Lance to respond.

"That sounds great," she heard him say though he seemed distracted, "Sorry could you hang on while I ask my parents?

"Okay," she said and heard him place the phone down.

She was about to turn around to ask her parents what food they could serve Lance when she heard someone talking on the other side of the phone.

"I don't know,' she heard a female voice say, Lance's mother she presumed, "Is it safe?"

"I'll be fine mum, I have to say goodbye to her at least."

She knew it was bad to eavesdrop but it wasn't exactly like she was doing it on purpose.

"Let the boy go," he heard a gruff male voice say, "Let the kid have some fun before he starts school. He's earned it after all the hard work this past year."

"Oh alright," the woman finally agreed and the next moment she heard the phone being picked up.

"When would be a good time to come over?" Lance asked her.

"Give me an hour to get ready," she replied.

After giving him her address she hung up the phone to find her father looking sourly at his eggs and her mother beaming up at her.

"This is okay with you right?" she asked as she took her seat at the breakfast table.

"Granger women always have a mind of their own," her father mumbled as he picked up his newspaper, "Who am I to interfere."

"Mum kicked you pretty hard huh dad?" she said sympathetically taking a bite out of her toast.

"She could join the local footbal team if she wanted," he replied causing Hermione to laugh and her mother to scowl.

By the time Lance arrived her parents were standing at the front door. The greeted him quickly before her mother dragged her father out for a day of shopping. He glared at Lance as though to instill as much fear in him as it was possible, but it was difficult to look menancing when your wife was ordering you out the door.

When they left Lance laughed nervously.

"So your dad hates me."

"He's just being a typical dad," she said in exasperation, "Always overprotective of his little girl."

"Sounds nice," he said as he looked around her house, "My dad's not really around much, so I'm closer to my mum. Wow Hermione this place is huge."

Hermione shrugged her before leading him into the lounge room.

"Hungry?" she asked as she flicked on the television.

"Nah, I've already eaten," he said as he reached over and looked through her collection of movies that she has placed on the table.

"Very wide selection you have here," he said in surprise, "I'd thought I'd see a collection of Colin Firth movies, but you've got action movies as well."

"Ha ha," she said sarcastically, "I tell you I like Jane Austen and all of a sudden I'm a Colin Firth fanatic."

"My mum loves him," he replied, "I think I heard her try to convince my dad to jump into the pool once with his clothes still on."

Hermione bit back a laugh at the disgusted look on his face.

"I didn't sleep for days after," he shivered.

She really did laugh this time earning her a scowl from Lance.

"That is classic," she said wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, thats what my mum said," but this time he smiled at her.

After settling down with a bowl of popcorn and the latest action movie playing on the screen she felt Lance's eyes on her. She ignored it at first but it really started to unnerve her.

"What's wrong?" she said unable to watch another object explode into a ball of flames, "You seem like you wanna say something to me."

"I admit there's a reason I wanted to see you once more before I left," he said reachng into his backpack, "I did some research and I was able to get some brochures for you."

Hermione took the large envelop he handed her and reached inside to have a look at what he was talking about.

"They all come highly recommended, at least that's why my dad said."

When she didn't reply he quickly added.

"Don't worry all I told him was that you're parents were looking in to schools closer to home, I didn't tell him about...you know."

Hermione flipped through the booklet in her hand, unable to respond.

"I really think you should consider changing schools," he said after silence elapsed between them.

She placed the envelop on the coffee table and turned to look at him as he continued.

"And my dad, he may not be a top ranking official but he has friends in high places. If you or your family is being threatened, then he'll be able to take care of you. Make sure your family is safe."

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at him once more.

"I don't know what to say," she said honeslty.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, "I know it's incredibly rude for me to just tell you what to do, but I would hate to think that you were suffering after I'm gone."

She reached over and squeezed his hand so that he would look at her rather than at the floor.

"Thank you," she said holding back tears, "Thank you for worrying about me, for doing all of this."

She waved her hand towards the envelop on the table but in reality she was talking about everything he had done since they had meet. She realised why it was that she liked spending so much time with him.

He knew here before she was a slave, and for the longest time she had thought that that girl who had boarded the train filled with hope of a new beginning had long since shrivelled away but what she realised now was that girl was very alive.

Being around Lance made her realise that she wasn't the girl who just accepted her fate, that in reality the very fact that she had stayed in what appeared to be a hopeless situation proved that she had more courage than even she thought possible. She was bidding her time, gathering evidence, and preparing herself for the time when she would be able to strike.

When she asked herself questions like 'Why isn't anyone doing anything to free us,' what she was really asking was 'I've got to free us.'

She felt Lance's large hands cover hers causing her to look up at him. He was looking at her in concern.

"Thank you," she said before she leaned over and hugged him, "Thank you for caring, for listening to me whinge and moan."

She pulled away from him and saw him open his mouth to speak but she continued.

"I think you knew didn't you? but you were too polite to say."

He looked at her in confusion.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" she said unconvinced by his blank expression, "I always wondered why you would look at me strangely whenever I complained about school, I thought you were just concerned about my safety," she reached over and grabbed the envelop on the table before handing it back to him, "What you were really doing was holding yourself back. So go ahead, this is your last chance, go ahead and say what you really want to."

Lance took the envelop back before chuckling.

"Too smart for your own good," he replied.

He moved over to switch off the television before turning to look at her carefully.

"Okay then, I'm not going to hold back," he said carefully watching her reaction.

"I'm counting on it."

 


	4. Something's Gotta Change

' _Dear Lance,_

_Thanks for the book, it was really interesting and has been a nice way to distract myself from everything that's been going on. School has started again, but something strange is going on...'_

Hermione saw a hand move in front of her face and she blinked.

She looked to her side to find Lavender smiling at her.

"You looked like you were in your own world," Lavender said with a sly smile, "So, how did your date with Lance go?"

Hermione groaned. She regretted telling Lavender that she had spent her Christmas break hanging out with a childhood friend.

"Honestly, it was not a date," she protested.

And she was being perfectly honest. Dating was the last thing on her mind at the moment but it's not like she was going tell Lavender that, not yet at least. She had the sneaking suspicion that if she told anyone other than Lance about what she intended to do then they would call her crazy.

"Where's Anna?" Hermione wondered when she realised that they were the only two Gryffindor servants on the train platform.

Lavender gave her a funny look.

"You mean you don't know?" Lavender said in surprise, when Hermione shook her head Lavender explained, "She's been really sick the past week, she's hasn't stepped foot outside her room. I went to visit her but her mother said that she had a fever and that it wasn't a good idea to see her in case what she had was contagious."

Hermione eyes widened.

She felt guilt bit into her. She hadn't even talked to Anna at all over the last week.

"I hope its not too serious," she said as she looked down at the ground trying to think of something she could do to help her sick friend.

"Oh great," Lavender said sarcastically, "I'll see you later."

Hermione looked up to see Lavender walk over to Seamus Finnigin. As always he avoided looking at Lavender in the eye even when Lavender took his things to place them in the storage cabin of the train.

Hermione felt a sharp pain cut through her leg.

She cried out in pain and turned to see a guy standing behind her.

"Opps," he said, though by his tone she could tell he wasn't really sorry for practically running over her with his heavy luggage cart.

She looked at his face carefully and recognised him as a ravenclaw. He was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, she remembered because he was one of the best players and apparently the bane of her Master's existence. This alone was enough to make Hermione forgive him for almost breaking her leg.

'Ouch,' Hermione reached down and rubbed her leg and felt pain shoot up her leg, 'Okay almost forgive him.'

"Can you carry this onto the train for me?" he asked her.

He didn't wait for a response but began placing his bags in her arms.

"H-hey!" she said when he started to walk away, one of the bags dropped onto the floor causing him to turn to look at her.

But rather than come and pick up the bag he stood staring at her carefully, almost as though he were carefully examining an exhibit at the museum. She saw him furrow his brow before his face broke into a smile.

"Sorry, here," he reached over and picked up the bag.

She would have thanked him if he didn't place the bag on top of the pile on her hands. She was just about to shove the pile of bags back into his face when she felt herself becoming unbalanced - no, he had pushed her.

She toppled over and the bags landed painfully on top of her.

Hermione was furious. It was one thing to be subjected to humiliation by her Master but she wouldn't stand for other people ordering her around.

She quickly dismissed the little voice in her head that said that she wasn't making sense. Instead she stood up and glared at the boy angrily.

He was smirking down at her as though he had just won a prize but he looked behind her and the colour drained from his face.

"Nevermind," he said quickly waving his wand and walking away with his bags floating behind him.

Hermione stood there like an idiot her mouth agape.

"What the hell?" she said to herself.

Lavender ran over to her.

"Hermione are you okay?" her friend asked.

"Yeah," she said annoyed at herself more than anyone else.

Here she was, supposed to be starting a mutiny and she let creeps like that treat her like a toy.

"Your leg," Lavender said bringing her back to reality.

Hermione stared down at her leg and felt a warm sensation along her leg, and something sticky was seeping through her jeans.

"Great," she mumbled, "I'll go get the medical kit from my bag."

"I'll come with you," Lavender said instantly.

"No, you should get on the train, and if my Master shows up could you - "

"You got it," Lavender cut her off, "I'll tell him what that guy did to you."

"No, that's not - "

Before Hermione could say anything in response Lavender ran down the train platform.

"Why the hell would he care anyway?" she grumbled before she began limping towards the storage cabin, hoping that she wouldn't run into the same Ravenclaw who had hit her.

Her progress along the platform was slow and it didn't help that all the students were beginning to board the train. She was finally able to make it to the end of the platform and was about to step onto the train to get her bag when she heard a voice in the shadows.

No, not voice - voices. And one of the voices belonged to her Master.

Hermione limped over to the shadows where her Master was arguing with another person.

She froze.

Her Master had someone pinned up against one of the platform columns.

She couldn't see his face but she could hear the anger in his voice.

"What did I tell you?!" Her Master shoved the other person roughly back while still holding them by the collar of their shirt.

It was then she noticed the blue tie of the Ravenclaw House.

The boy who had hit her earlier was now staring at her Master, and he was clearly afraid.

"L-look I-I..."

"I told you not to -"

"I know...b-but we told you it wouldn't work."

She heard her Master make an angry sound that almost sounded like a growl.

"You stupid Ravenclaws," he spat back at the boy, "You always think you're smarter than the rest of us."

"Well I was right," the boy said some of his confidence returning though he still looked afraid that her Master would begin hitting him, "That glamour doesn't work. Look how easy it was for me to hurt her."

"Do you honestly think that is the only protection she has?" her Master replied.

"Like you Gryffindors can do anything other than - "

The Ravenclaw didn't have a chance to say anymore because her Master shoved him back against the column once more before moving dangerously close.

Hermione felt her heart race.

'This couldn't be...'

"Stay - Away - From - Her!" Her Master said through clenched teeth.

Hermione saw his arm begin to raise into the air as though he were going to hit the boy. She saw the Ravenclaw flinch back.

"Ron NO!"

Hermione jumped in shock when someone ran past her.

It was Harry Potter, her Masters best friend. Another person ran past after him, Ginerva Weasley looked at Hermione as she passed but she continued over to her brother rather than tell her off. Not that she would, Ginerva Weasley, unlike her brother didn't talk to her at all. Whereas her Master would intentionally say things to aggravate her, almost as though he enjoyed seeing her angry.

"Not here," she heard Harry Potter say.

She saw her Master release the Ravenclaw and he instantly disappeared down the train platform.

"What were you thinking," Harry continued, "You could have drawn attention to  _him_."

Her master swung around visibly angry.

"Not everything is about you, Harry," her Master said before storming off.

Hermione would have jumped behind a column to hide but her injured leg prevented her.

Her Master stopped when he saw her.

She could see Ginerva Weasley shaking her head at her brother, while Harry simply glared at him.

She winced back when he advanced on her.

She didn't have time to react when he leaned over and picked her up.

She wanted to protest but Harry Potter did it for her

"Ron!" his friend screamed at him.

But her Master clearly wanted to annoy his friend, perhaps that's why he carried her onto the train. He placed her down on one of the wooden boxes in the storage car. He then began moving around looking through the boxes.

She wanted to ask him a million questions.

For one, what were he and the Ravenclaw boy talking about, because what she was thinking clearly could not be the truth. But instead she took a deep breath and said,

"What are you looking for?"

He didn't reply but turned and walked back to her. She saw him pull his wand.

"Damn it, what's that spell..." he mumbled to himself.

"What are you looking for?" she asked him again.

He looked at her and she almost gasped. His eyes, they were red and bloodshot, and his eyes had dark bags under them. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before looking away from her.

"Bandages," he mumbled, "For your leg."

He began waving his wand around trying to remember the spell.

"Accio first aid kit," she said.

His head snapped back to look at her.

"How did you..." he trailed off and she thought she saw him smile but when he moved into the light his face was stern again, "Accio first aid kit."

She saw a white box fly over to them and her Master caught it before opening it up.

"Do you...know how?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can do things on my own, you know," he said before leaning down so that he was knelling directly in front of her leg.

She winced in pain when he folded her jeans up her leg. She gasped when she felt something cold touch her leg.

"Wh- "

She saw him pouring some strange blue goo on the cut on her leg. She felt a strange sensation similar to feeling she got when her leg fell asleep. He reached up to grab something from the first aid kit and Hermione instantly shifted her hand away so that he wouldn't touch her.

"Don't move," he said before he began to wrap the bandage around her leg.

The next instant he was standing in front of her again.

Without a word he packed up the first aid kit before walking out of the storage cart.

Hermione simply stared at the space that he had just stood completely dumbstruck.

It would only be hours later while she was placing her bags into the servants lockers that she would wonder how on earth her Master had even known about the first aid kit. She had bought it as a last minute precaution, not even her parents had known about it.

* * *

Hermione spent the rest of the week watching her Master carefully.

He didn't seem any different, although his friend Harry Potter still appeared angry at him. She was still pondering over the events at the train station one night when she heard someone walking up the stairs. She instantly laid down beside a sleeping Lavender and pretended to be asleep as well.

She shivered slightly when her skin touched the cold stone floors. She wrapped her arms around her body to keep herself warm.

She felt someone standing next to her. She briefly wondered if it was her Master, but she had seen him go into his room hours earlier and no one had walked past her since then. So who could be standing above her now?

She tried not to tense up or to do anything obvious and give herself away. She heard a scraping metal sound before someone whispered an incantation. Then something fluffy and warm covered her body. The person stayed beside her a moment longer and she wondered if they had realised she wasn't really asleep but the next moment she heard the person walking away. She opened her eyes slightly and saw the shadows of the person dissappering down the stairs.

Hermione sat bolt upright causing something heavy fall into her lap.

She stared down at the maroon coloured blanket.

Hang on, she shouldn't be able to see anything at all at this time of -

Her breath caught in her throat.

There, floating in front of her face was a lantern, but that wasn't what was strange or caused Hermione's heart to race. The lantern held a blue flame that instantly warmed her cold body. She looked over and wondered why Lavender hadn't woken up and saw that her friend had a blanket placed over her as well. Lavender snuggled in the blanket and said something that sounded like 'Stupid Irishman' before she snored.

Hermione stared at the stairs where the person had disappeared.

She was torn between running down to see who the person had been and another part of wanted to lay down and fall asleep. She hesitated, she wasn't sure why but she felt as though whoever had done this didn't want her to know who they were.

"Screw it," she said before running down the stairs.

She slowed as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She looked around the common room but found it completely empty.

Disappointed and tired now she walked back up the steps deep in thought.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and stared that blue flames in the lantern until she felt her eyes close.

* * *

She opened her eyes when she heard whispering voices.

She rubbed her eyes and wondered if the students were wondering how she had gotten a lantern and blanket. She was thinking how she was going to defend herself but when she looked around she saw that the lantern and blanket were gone.

Had it been a dream?

She looked over and saw Lavender yawning and stretching her arms.

"Wow, that was the best sleep I've had in ages."

What bothered Hermione the most was that it hadn't been. In fact, last night had been the same as every night for her.

Could it be possible that whoever had given her the blanket had been doing the same thing every night?

'No. I would have realised it if that were the case.'

"Earth to Hermione."

She saw Lavender staring at her.

"You okay? you look a bit pale."

Hermione nodded her head before she followed Lavender down towards the common room to get to the servants quarters. They almost tripped when Harry Potter ran down the stairs, a frantic look on his face, his hair more messier than usual and sweat dripping down his face.

A moment later Seamus, Neville and her Master followed him down the stairs.

Lavender sighed.

"Good Morning Lavender," she made a gagging sound, "Oh - no, I have just spoken to my servant, I must now collapse and die."

Lavender made a face before pretending to collapse on the stairs.

Hermione would have laughed but her mind was replaying the scene from moments before.

Harry Potter and run down the stairs as though his life depended on it and her Master had been right on his heels.

But that wasn't what was looping in her mind.

Her Master had been -

She stared down at the stone stairs at their feet.

She felt Lavender begin to pull her down the stairs but her eyes were locked on the floor.

"Hermione? what are you doing?" her friend asked when she refused to move.

"Blood," she said pointing at the floor.

Then it occurred to her.

Seamus and Neville weren't running after Harry, they had been carrying her Master.

She felt panic rush over her.

'Wait - why should I care? He's a jerk...he deserves...to...'

An image of her Master knelling in front of her bandaging her leg flashed before her mind.

"Damn-it," she cursed out loud.

"What?" Lavender asked her.

"I think I have Stockholm's," she replied before she ran down the stairs.

" _...someone I thought I hated was hurt, and I can't stop thinking about it."_


	5. Things cannot stay the same

' _ **Dear Hermione,**_

_**I'm sorry to hear about your friend, but you still haven't told me how your research is going? Have you made much progress?** _

_**L.'** _

* * *

' _ **Lance,**_

_**He is not my friend! And I haven't had much luck with research, I've been distracted.** _

_**H.'** _

 

* * *

 

Hermione felt pain shot up her hands as the stone walls cut into her fingers. Her feet were carrying her faster and faster down the dark stairwell. She prayed that she would be able to stop herself or at least slow down enough to stop herself from tripping the rest of the way. She shuddered to think of what would happen to her if she suddenly lost her footing.

Behind her she could hear Lavender calling out her name in panic and fear.

She had told her friend numerous times to stop and go back to the Gryffindor common room but Lavender ignored her.

"Please Lavender," she pleaded, "I don't know what's going on but I think ..."

She trailed off.

What did she think? and more to the point, why did she care?

She had spent the last few years of her life loathing her master and yet she couldn't stop the panicked feeling that gripped her chest everytime she remembered his pale face and the blood that had dripped onto the floor. She felt her body grow cold and she wasn't sure if it was from the wind rushing past her as she barrelled down the stairs or just her imagination - but she refused to think that it had to do with her Master.

**'Yeah,'** she heard a stubborn voice agreeing with her in her mind, **'Your just worried that if he dies that you won't be able to help free the servants.'**

She gritted her teeth her fingers digging deeper into the stone walls and she felt herself slowing down.

**'That's right,'**  she said to herself as she caught her breath, **'I don't care about him, I just need him to stay alive long enough for me to bring down this stupid society.'**

She heard Lavender breathing heavily behind her.

"H-H..."

Hermione turned to see Lavender struggling to keep up.

"Her - Ouch!" Lavender cried shaking her fingers, she had clearly been shocked by the electric current from her bracelets, which meant her master was looking for her.

Hermione stopped and turned back to her friend.

What was she doing?

Why was she dragging her only friend along with her to face merlin knows what. She couldn't put her friend in that kind of danger, if she lost Lavender, then she really would be alone at Hogwarts.

"I'm so sorry Lavender," Hermione said as she caught her breath as well, "Please just stay here."

Lavender shook her head and Hermione thought she was going to protest but Lavender stood up straight and looked back up the stairs that they had just run down.

"My Master needs me," Lavender explained, "If I don't go he'll get suspicious right?"

Lavender turned round and stared at Hermione. Hermione suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable under her gaze, almost as though Lavender were pealing away the mental barriers she had put up and was reading her mind.

"You go," Lavender said slowly, "Take care of your Master."

"That's not what I'm..."

Lavender shook her head at Hermione.

"Please Hermione, after everything he's done for you, a witch would be crazy not to fall for him."

Lavender spun around and ran back up the stairs, a few moments later she disappeared into the shadows of the servants passage way.

Hermione stood frozen on the steps, her mouth agape.

"What the hell does that mean?!"

She thought she heard Lavender giggling but she dismissed it and ran the rest of the way down the stairs until she saw the doorway that led to the infirmary.

Hermione caught her breath as she reached the large wooden doors of the school hospital. She placed her hands on the handle and was just about to push open the doors when the voices inside stopped her.

"And this happened when?"

She moved close to the door to hear the voices more clearly.

"I don't know," a frustrated voice replied, and she recognised it as Harry Potter.

"Harry, calm down," she heard a girl say, Ginevra Weasley she concluded after a moment.

"Calm down?" Harry screamed back at her, "I almost killed my best friend! and your telling me to calm down?!"

After a moments silence he continued.

"First your dad and now this."

"No one is blaming you," an older male voice spoke, "But I fear that this may mean..."

The male voice trailed off and Hermione wondered what had happened when a 'whooshing' sound echoed around her.

"Professor Lupin?" Harry said in surprise.

"Hello Harry," another voice replied, "And its just 'Remus' now remember."

Hermione bit her lip and carefully and as quietly as possible pushed open the wooden doors to get a better look inside the room.

She saw a group of adults standing off to the side, one she recognised as one of the previous years Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, but the others she didn't know. Her eyes moved over to the beds, where Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley stood. Hermione's eyes fell on her Master's pale face as he sat up in one of the beds.

He looked horrible.

And she didn't mean it the way that she usually did, in that 'he's a jerk, he's so horrible', but rather 'he looks like he's close to death' kinda horrible.

She saw a girl lean over and place a laurel of strange looking flowers on his head. Her master looked up the girl curiously.

"Wild daisies," the girl said in a dreamy voice, her long blond tresses falling over her shoulder as she spoke, "I tried to find some Gurdy roots but I was a bit short on time, you collapsed so suddenly."

The way the girl spoke it was almost as though her Master had intentionally fallen ill just as she were about to make an important discovery on the lawns of Hogwarts.

But rather than being angry at her like Hermione expected, her Master simply laughed.

Hermione stared at him.

The last time she had heard him laugh...well she had never heard him laugh. And the sound of it sent shivers through her. She wasn't sure why but just hearing him laugh and seeing him smile made her feel uncomfortable, like she was seeing something intensely private. And yet his friends were just standing around as though he did this all the time, like he barred his soul for all the world to see every second of the day.

She saw Harry sigh at her Master.

"This isn't funny Ron," he said, "You almost died, and its all my fault."

Her master grinned up at him.

"Yeah, 'cause its never dangerous around you," her Master replied sarcastically.

"Are you sure you're okay?" his sister asked him.

Her master shrugged before he grimaced and grabbed his stomach.

"Thanks Luna," her Master asked as the blond haired girl helped him sit back against the pillows of the bed.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

**'** _**He - thanked someone?'** _

"What was that spell you used anyway Harry?" he continued looking at his friend.

"I - I don't know," Harry answered a confused expression on his face, "I was just having  _that_  dream again and..."

"Shhh!"

Hermione started and backed away from the door.

The man who Hermione recalled as Professer Lupin, had looked up and stared straight at her.

"Someone's coming," he said.

She could hear the other adults saying something to her Master and his friends before she backed up and bumped into someone.

"Hem-Hem."

Hermione's eyes widened and she jumped away from the person she had just backed up into.

* * *

" _ **Lance, remember me telling you that there was no one worse than my Master...well I may have left a few people out of when I said that..."**_

 

* * *

 

The woman narrowed her eyes at her before she looked down at her wrists. The woman's eyes lit up at the sight of the bracelets on Hermione's wrists.

Hermione backed away trying to hide her hands behind her back. She didn't like the almost predatory gleam in the woman's eyes, that and she was wearing an obscene amount of pink clothing.

"Come along - dear," the woman said gripping Hermione's arm and dragging her towards the infirmary.

The way she had said 'dear' sound like an insult but no matter how fast Hermione tried to think of an escape plan it wasn't fast enough.

The woman burst through the hospital doors dragging Hermione along with her. Hermione winced in pain and looked down to see that the woman's pink fingernails were digging into her arms like talons.

The next moment she was face to face with her Master.

She looked around and reaslied that the adults were no longer in the room, only her master and his friends remained.

If possible she saw her Master's face get even paler when he saw her but the next moment his face hardened and he looked up at the woman who had grabbed her.

"Hello Professor Umbridge," Harry Potter said through gritted teeth.

The woman squeezed Hermione's arm tighter and Hermione felt tears spring to her eyes.

"Servant."

Hermione jumped when her master spoke.

"Get me some water," he ordered her in a strained voice.

She looked up at the woman beside her and thought she saw a smile appear on her face. The woman's finger loosened and Hermione stepped away from her, she rushed over to a nearby table where a jug of water and glasses were.

"I was so distraught when I heard what had happened to your little friend Mr Potter," the woman said silkily causing Hermione's hand to shake slightly, because by her tone it sounded like she was more annoyed that her Master hadn't just died, as though it would have saved her a whole lot of trouble.

"Right," Harry replied as though he believed the woman as much as Hermione did.

"My brother is really tired," Ginevra Weasley said after a long silence had elapsed, "We should let him -"

"Yes," The woman said cutting her off before she could finish, "How  _did_  you hurt - yourself?"

Hermione turned around with the glass in hand, slowly she walked over to her Master. She wanted to hear this as much as the woman did.

_**'What had happened to him?'** _

"I was polishing my broom," her Master replied, "and accidentally hit myself in the face."

"And that," the woman narrowed her eyes at him, "required you to get so ill that you had to be rushed to the infirmary?"

Hermione started when something crashed to the floor.

She turned to see the blond girl staring at a vase that was broken into pieces at her feet.

"Wrackspurt's," she said waving her hand around as though she were trying to hit some invisible flies.

"What?" the woman replied the fake smile slipping from her face.

"They're invisible, they float around and make your brain go fuzzy, they're probably what's causing Ron to feel so dizzy," the girl who her master had called Luna explained.

The woman ignored her and looked back at her master as though to continue her interrogation.

"What is going on here?!"

The school nurse ran over to them.

"Too many visitors will upset the patient," the nurse scolded them, "He needs to rest."

"Yes," the woman in pink agreed her eyes sweeping over all of them before looking at the nurse, "I expect a full report on the patient's condition by the end of the day."

The nurse looked like she wanted to hit the woman with the bottle in her hand but she simply pursed her lips and nodded.

The woman turned to look back at her Master, she squeezed his hand and her Master looked like he wanted to bite his own hand off.

"Get better, dear," the woman said before standing up fully and looking at her.

Hermione's fingers gripped the cup in her hands.

"Stay," the woman said in the same tone as you would talk to a dog and Hermione narrowed her eyes at her.

"Excuse me?" she heard herself say before she could stop herself, "I have a name you know, it's Hermione Granger."

She realised that everyone was staring at her like she had just grown an extra head.

She felt her face heat up and she looked down at the ground.

The woman laughed but there was no humour in her voice when she spoke.

"Indeed," she said, "Stay - Miss Granger, make sure your Masters needs are met."

She didn't like the way the woman had said 'needs' and she was pretty sure she wasn't the only one who felt this way because even though her eyes were no longer looking at the woman she could see her Master's fist on the bed. He was gripping the blankets at his sides so tightly that she thought he would tear it from the bed.

"Well then shall we go Mr Potter?"

She looked up to see the woman lead her Masters friends from the room.

"I have some Gurdy roots in my room Ron, I'll make some juice and bring them by later," Luna smiled before skipping after the woman.

"Thank's Luna," her master laughed.

**_'There, there's that laugh again,_** ' Hermione stared at her Master in disbelief before she noticed someone's eyes on her.

Harry Potter was looking at her suspiciously before he turned and followed everyone else out of the room.

"Here you go, this should help you sleep."

The school nurse handed her Master a cup of some strange yellow liquid. He made a face before drinking the whole cup in one gulp.

"Ugh," he said afterwards as though he were going to puke the contents of the cup back up again.

Hermione handed him the cup and he took it and drank the water.

"Thanks," he said to her before leaning back against the pillows.

_**'Thanks?'** _

"Hmmm," the nurse said before she waved her wand at the broken vase. It repaired itself and the daisies inside came back to life.

The nurse looked at her and pursed her lips once more before walking away.

Hermione took the cup out of her masters hand and placed it on the bed side table.

After a few minutes completely at a loss as to what she should do, she dragged a chair over and sat beside her master.

She thought her master had fallen asleep but when she looked up she found him staring at her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her in a raspy voice.

She looked down at her hands before replying.

"I don't know," she said slowly.

She wanted to say more, like ask him why he had helped her that day on the train platform but when she looked up again his eyes were closed and she could hear him snoring softly.

* * *

' _ **L,**_

_**Do you ever get the feeling that everyone else knows something you don't? Well I feel like that all the time and I HATE IT!** _

_**H.'** _

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes when she heard a noise beside her. She sat up and streched her stiff body.

She yawned and then quickly covered her mouth when she saw the person sitting across from her.

"Um...hello," she said slowly while trying to brush her hair from her face.

Her masters sister watched her cautiously.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked Hermione.

"Ginevra Weasley," Hermione replied, she saw the girl cringe when she said her name.

"Please," she said, "Call me Ginny. No one's called me Ginevra since I was six."

"Okay," Hermione said before looking down awkwardly.

It was then that she realised that the bed where her Master should be was empty. She looked up at Ginny.

"Where - ?"

Ginny Weasley rolled her eyes.

"That stupid brother of mine," she said in exasperation, "He won't let the Ravenclaws prove him wrong."

Ginny looked at her as though debating whether she should be trusted. Her eyes dropped down to Hermione's wrists and Hermione twisted her fingers together nervously. She was noticing a lot of people doing that these days.

"I'll go find him," Hermione said when she couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"You..."

Hermione stopped just as she was about to stand up and looked over at Ginny instead.

"You shouldn't get too close to him," she continued, "It's not safe."

Hermione furrowed her brow.

"For me...or for him?" she questioned because she wasn't sure who Ginny was referring to.

Instead of explaining Ginny stood up and left her alone in the infirmary.

Hermione stared down at her wrists.

"What's is going on here? Everyone is acting so strangely."

She was still tired but after cleaning herself up and grabbing a quick breakfast with the kitchen elves and reassuring Lavender that everything was fine, she headed up the servants staircase to find her Master. She wasn't really sure how but the magic on her bracelets meant she could find him no matter where he was, just in case he needed an extra helping of food before Quidditch practice, before class, before bed and pretty much all hours of the day - she had become quite quick on her feet after all the years she run from the school kitchen's to wherever it was her Master was.

She found him a few minutes later in a dark corner of the library pouring over some old dusty books. She slowed as she approached him and she realised she had never spoken to him before other than in response to his orders.

She took a deep breath before walking over to him. His hair was a mess, and was sticking out all over the place as though he had spent the entire night running his hands through it in frustration. He heard her approach and he looked up at her, his eyes widened before he quickly closed some books and moved them off the table.

"Um," she said when she had stopped beside him, "Your sister..."

For the first time in her life she couldn't speak. He was looking up at her like he had never had before - no - he had looked at her like that once, when they were eleven years old.

He looked worried about her. She didn't understand it but at least he hadn't started shouting and ordered her to leave.

He looked away and began reading again, but this time he was sitting up straighter and she could see his hands were clenching the book in his hands tightly.

She just stood there trying to think of what to say, and wondered what on earth had compelled her to come here in the first place.

_**'Am I worried about him?'** _

No that couldn't be it, she dismissed the thought quickly.

**'Research,'**  a voice in her head said.

"Research," she repeated aloud.

This caused her Master to jump in surprise.

"W-what?" he said in alarm.

"I need to do research," she explained, "Can I?"

He stared at her.

"Okay," he said but he sounded unsure but she didn't give him a chance to change his mind.

She ran down the bookshelves till she found what she was looking for.

He coughed when she placed the newspapers on the desk and the dust flew up into the air.

"Sorry," she said when he started to sneeze and cough some more.

He waved his wand and the dust disappeared.

They sat in silence.

Hermione pulled out the oldest newspaper and began reading.

' **Minister Malfoy's new proclamation a hit!'**

She read the numerous articles on the new Minister and as she did she wondered why she hadn't ever bothered to do this sooner. She couldn't say that she understood everything he did but at least she knew that he wasn't completely insane.

She looked up when she noticed her Master rubbing his eyes before he continued taking notes in an old notebook that had clearly seen better days.

"What are you researching?"

He took the words right out of her mouth. He wasn't looking at her but continued writing in his book but when she didn't answer him he looked up at her.

She dropped her eyes when they met his.

"I - uh," she mumbled.

**'This is so awkward, I have no idea how to talk to him. Heck, I'm still getting over the shock of him not shouting at me to leave.'**

"You want to know more about Malfoy?" he answered for her.

The way he had said the Minister of Magic's name was filled with so much loathing and disgust that she forgot how awkward she felt and looked straight up at him.

"You don't like him do you," she realised.

"Of course not," he said an angry look on his face, "A lot of people don't agree with their governments, but there is very little -"

He stopped and she saw his jaw clench.

"Just don't go digging too deep," he continued after a moments silence, "You may not like what you find."

"But I don't think he's evil," she replied, surprising even herself that she could talk so normally with her master, they were talking about a morbid topic, the enslavement of a whole group of people but nonetheless it was still an improvement in their relationship.

"Why do you say that?" he said but she noticed him looking around them nervously.

"He doesn't support Vold-"

"Don't say his name," her master hissed at her, "We call him 'you know who'."

Hermione blinked at him.

"Well he doesn't support 'you know who'," she continued.

"What makes you think that," he replied turning back to his work.

"He said so," she replied holding up the newspaper in her hands.

"And you believe him?" her Master said incredulously, "People say and do a lot of things, that doesn't mean that they mean them."

His eyes widened when he said this and he looked away from her. She wondered briefly why he was acting so strangely but then again this was the most that they had talked - ever. Perhaps he acted like this all the time. This thought made her think back to him smiling and laughing in the hospital. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

She looked down at the papers in her hands.

She wasn't stupid, she knew that people did things and said things that they may not mean but there was something in the Minister's face.

The image of Minister Malfoy waved up at her a broad smile on his face.

"There's nothing malicious in that smile," she explained, "Sure I'm not fan of his policies but - from this picture you can tell he enjoys the power that he has and people with power don't want someone else more powerful taking that away from them."

When she looked up she saw her Master staring at her with the same concerned expression as before.

He opened his mouth as though to say something in response but then thought better of it and closed it again. He looked down at his watch before standing up from the table.

"I should get ready for class," he mumbled before grabbing his books and shoving them in his bag.

"Do you need help?" she said which surprised even herself, she had never volunteered to do anything for him before.

Obviously he was thinking the same thing because he stepped away from her suspiciously.

He looked down at her wrists before up at her face again.

"I'm fine," he said before he walked away from her.

She stared down at her wrists where the bracelets were.

"Why does everyone keep doing that?"

She looked at the books around her.

**'Something else I can research while I'm here.'**

* * *

' _ **H,**_

_**If you hate it then you know the only way to solve it is to find the answers right? And remember that even though I'm not always by your side, I'll always find a way to protect you.** _

_**L.'** _

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my old stories (from 2009). I'm posting it here in the hopes that one day I will finish this story that is very close to my heart. 
> 
> Warning, it's old, unbeta'd and very unpolished
> 
> There are around 34 chapters that I will gradually move from ffnet to AO3


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